Page 33 of Every Time We Touch

“Kate and Stella are very happy together now,” I say. Something I’ve witnessed with my own eyes.

“Now? Yes, but it was a fucking mess for a long time. This kind of stuff ruins families, even the best of them.”

“Not always.” I’m not even sure which point I’m trying to make. It’s not as if Jen and I are in any way together. “And it was just a kiss.”

“Was it?” Skye slants her head. “If so, why are you so worked up about it?”

Touché. “Because I like Jen. A lot.”

“That’s what I thought.” Skye looks briefly at the ceiling. “That’s what all this is about?”

“We just… click. On a level I haven’t clicked with anyone in such a long time.”

“Not even with her dad?” I wish Skye would stop referring to Eric as Jen’s dad, although there’s no denying that he is.

“Definitely not to the same degree.” I let out a slow breath. “Sometimes you meet someone and everything about it is just… more than ordinary. More fun. Easier. Like you just want to be around them all the time.” Like all you want to do is text them and ask if there’s any way you can see them again. I’ve thought about it every hour since Jen rushed out of my studio last Wednesday.

“I will tell you the exact same thing I told Kate when she first came to me with her feelings for Stella,” Skye says. “If you know what’s good for you, and for Jen and her family, you nip this in the bud right now, while you still can. Before you’re too far gone to see reason.”

“Is that really what you told Kate?” I can’t help but smile. I’ve seen how happy Kate and Stella are together.

“Obviously, she didn’t listen to my excellent advice. But you’re right, the situation was different. It was already a lot more than just a kiss when Kate came to me.”

Oh, how I wish to be in that situation with Jen. When she whispered in my ear that she couldn’t resist me, things could have gone in another, much hotter, direction. But I had to break up with Eric first.

“It’s hard to just forget about her,” I say.

“Not as hard as tearing her family apart over something that might very well be nothing at all.”

Ouch. “But what if it’s not nothing?”

“What ifs will get you nowhere.” Skye leans forward and puts her hands on my knees. “It’s as clear as day that you like her and that makes this hard, but come on. Pull yourself together.”

“I take it your friendly advice is not to text Jen, then?”

“Block her number. Don’t see her. Let time pass and work its magic. Before you know it, you will have forgotten all about Jennifer St James.”

Fat chance of that. Even though she didn’t take more than a few lessons in my studio, the air’s still thick with her presence. Maybe I need Skye to take down that wall sooner rather than later, so I don’t have to look at it anymore.

“I guess the saddest thing about it is that I’ve lost them both. Silly as it may sound now, it was nice to date again. Even though it wasn’t super serious yet, Eric was really into me and…” I don’t finish because of how it sounds, although it’s true.

“Imagine him finding out you’ve been kissing his daughter… or worse?” Skye excels at playing devil’s advocate.

Poor Jen. How must she be feeling about this? When she’s with her family—with her dad? On top of that, because he was so into me, Eric looked devastated when I told him we should stop seeing each other. Skye’s right. It’s best to walk away from this now that I still can. The last thing I want is to rip Jen’s family apart. Unfortunately, the almost last thing I want is to never see Jen again.

Chapter 17

Jen

“Oh, fuck,” Marcy says. Because I don’t know what to do with myself on Wednesday afternoon—and I’d blocked the time off already—I tell Marcy about what I was doing this time last week. “Oh, Jen. No. You?” She shakes her head. “You kissed your dad’s girlfriend?” Turns out not telling another living soul was no longer an option. Because of the intensity of that kiss, and how I lost myself in it—in her—it sneaks up on me all the time. Even sitting across from Marcy, I have to shake off the memory of my thumb meeting Clancy’s tongue. My lips on hers. How my body reacted as though I finally gave it something it had wanted for the longest time. “Honestly,” Marcy says, “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

I sort of know what she means. I’ve always been the most buttoned-up member of my family. Perhaps because I’m the oldest—although only by thirty minutes—I’ve always been the most responsible and thoughtful one.

“I didn’t know either.” I sigh. “I wish I’d never met her.”

“You really like her?” Marcy looks me in the eye.

“So fucking much.” I bring my hand to my belly. “On an elemental level that I can’t really put into words, but… I wouldn’t have kissed her if I’d been in my right mind. That’s what she did to me.”